2 dead in Leyte quake; Ormoc airport temporarily closed
Paramedics from the Philippine National Red Cross attend to students of New Ormoc City National High School in Ormoc City, Leyte. who fainted after being gripped with fear following the strong tremor that struck Leyte province on Thursday afternoon. Robert Dejon, Inquirer Visayas
The powerful earthquake that hit Leyte on Thursday afternoon left two people dead and injured dozens of others, local officials said.
In Kananga, Leyte, Vice Mayor Elmer Codilla said one body was recovered from the commercial building that collapsed when the 6.5-magnitude earthquake rattled the province.
The building housed a grocery store, hardware shop and a pension house.
In Ormoc City, Mayor Richard Gomez told radio station DZBB that one person was killed and over 100 others were hospitalized following a landslide caused by the powerful earthquake.
Gomez added that the Ormoc Airport was ordered temporarily closed to give way to authorities to inspect runways for possible cracks.
Thousands of residents, office workers and students fled from homes, buildings and schools and some were knocked over as the ground shook.
The strong shaking caused cracks in some buildings and roads in the city and power was automatically shut off, Gomez said.
Delia Vilbar, the treasurer of Ormoc, said she was attending a meeting on the second floor of City Hall when the earthquake struck.
“It was very strong, and the building was shaking,” she said. “I sat down while others in the room went under the table.”
When she went outside to the street, she saw people crying and embracing each other, she said.
Asked about the earthquake, President Rodrigo Duterte, who was visiting southern Bukidnon province, said he had not received any reports of major damage.
The quake struck in a region that was devastated in November 2013 by Typhoon Haiyan, which whipped up huge waves that left more than 7,300 people dead or missing, leveled entire villages and displaced more than 5 million villagers. With a report from AP
